Chapter 2

2. Chapter Learning Objectives

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

Contrast the two types of ability.

Define intellectual ability and demonstrate its relevance to OB.

Identify the key biographical characteristics and describe how they are relevant to OB.

Define learning and outline the principles of the three major theories of learning.

Define shaping, and show how it can be used in OB.

Show how culture affects our understanding of intellectual abilities, biographical characteristics, and learning.

An individuals capacity to perform the various tasks in a job.

Made up of two sets of factors:

Intellectual Abilities

The abilities needed to perform mental activities.

General Mental Ability (GMA) isa measure of overall intelligence.

Wonderlic Personnel Test: a quick measure of intelligence for recruitment screening.

No correlation between intelligence and job satisfaction.

Physical Abilities

The capacity to do tasks demanding stamina, dexterity, strength, and similar characteristics.

Strength Factors

Dynamic strength

Trunk strength

Static strength

Explosive strength

Flexibility Factors

Extent flexibility

Dynamic flexibility

Other Factors

Body coordination

Balance

Stamina

Objective and easily obtained personal characteristics.

Older workers bring experience, judgment, a strong work ethic, and commitment to quality.

Gender

Few differences between men and women that affect job performance.

Race(the biological heritage used to identify oneself)

Contentious issue: differences exist, but could be more culture-based than race-based.

Tenure

People with job tenure (seniority at a job) are more productive, absent less frequently, have lower turnover, and are more satisfied.

Religion

Islam is especially problematic in the workplace in this post-9/11 world.

Sexual Orientation

Federal law does not protect against discrimination (but state or local laws may).

Domestic partner benefits are important considerations.

Gender Identity

Relatively new issue transgendered employees.

Any relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience

Learning components:

Classical Conditioning

A type of conditioning in which an individual responds to some stimulus that would not ordinarily produce such a response.

Operant Conditioning

A type of conditioning in which desired voluntary behavior leads to a reward or prevents a punishment.

Social-Learning Theory

People can learn through observation and direct experience.

Pavlovs Dog Drool

Key Concepts:

Unconditioned stimulus

A naturally occurring phenomenon.

Unconditioned response

The naturally occurring response to a natural stimulus.

Conditioned stimulus

An artificial stimulus introduced into the situation.

Conditioned response

The response to the artificial stimulus.

This is a passive form of learning.It is reflexive and not voluntary not the best theory for OB learning.

B. F. Skinners concept ofBehaviorism :behavior follows stimuli in a relatively unthinking manner .

Key Concepts:

Conditioned behavior: voluntary behavior that is learned, not reflexive.

Reinforcement: the consequences of behavior which can increase or decrease the likelihood of behavior repetition.

Pleasing consequences increase likelihood of repetition.

Rewards are most effective immediately after performance.

Unrewarded/punished behavior is unlikely to be repeated.

Based on the idea that people can also learnindirectly : by observation, reading, or just hearing about someone elses a models experiences .

Key Concepts:

Attentional processes

Must recognize and pay attention to critical features to learn.

Retention processes

Models actions must be remembered to be learned.

Motor reproduction processes

Watching the models behavior must be converted to doing.

Reinforcement processes

Positive incentives motivatelearners.

Systematically reinforcing each successive step that moves an individual closer to the desired response.

Four Methods of Shaping Behavior:

Positive reinforcement

Providing a reward for a desired behavior (learning)

Negative reinforcement

Removing an unpleasant consequence when the desired behavior occurs (learning)

Punishment

Applying an undesirable condition to eliminate an undesirable behavior (unlearning)

Extinction

Withholding reinforcement of a behavior to cause its cessation (unlearning)

Two Major Types:

Continuous Reinforcement

A desired behavior is reinforced each time it is demonstrated

Intermittent Reinforcement

A desired behavior is reinforced often enough to make the behavior worth repeating but not every time it is demonstrated

Multiple frequencies

Depends on the number of responses made.

Interval

Depends on the time between reinforcements.

Rewards are spaced at uniform time intervals or after a set number of responses.

Variable

Rewards that are unpredictable or that vary relative to the behavior.